Several weeks ago, I asked you to take a reader survey. We wanted to know what you want most from your Gilbert Republic.

As an admitted news nerd, I fully expected a good response. As a busy professional like many of you, I was more cautious.

You set my fears at ease. You e-mailed, you called and you took the survey.

The overwhelming response shows me the value you place on your community newspaper, and I appreciate that. I enjoyed reading your responses on what we could do to make the Gilbert Republic better.

Here are the highlights:

You want stories about how your town and schools spends taxpayer money and how your schools are teaching children.

In a rapidly growing community, you want a deeper look at growth and development issues.

You care about the safety of your neighborhoods.

You want to hear about the inspirational people and moments in your community.

And you want to have fun, whether it's heading to a local event, trying a new spot to eat or testing your brain on a puzzle.

Thank you for your feedback. We would like to show our appreciation. Starting today, your Gilbert Republic has a new, more engaging look and improvements to further entice you:

• Local police and fire officials will answer your questions in our new column, Ask a Cop or Ask a Firefighter, every Wednesday. (I encourage you to ask your public-safety question.)

• Look for a weekly history column about Gilbert every Friday.

• Our Community Living section on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays offers good news on events, people and places submitted by readers and organizations. Send submissions to me (information below) for publication consideration.

• Letters to the editor and My Turns go from a will-they-or-won't-they publishing cycle to a regular appearance every Saturday.

• Southeast Valley dining news will be in every week on Saturdays.

• Puzzle lovers get a new brain teaser, KenKen, and all of the puzzles and comics move to one page. In response to your requests, we moved the answers to another page.

• Old favorites, such as local health experts, restaurant inspections, crime calls and top home sales will still be here for you.

For those who also like to get their news digitally, we will continue to work to make gilbert.azcentral.com your community site on azcentral, a dynamic place to get breaking news and interactive features.

We are happy to deliver more of what you asked for — and we plan to keep improving with your e-mails and feedback.

Reach Carrie Watters at carrie.watters@arizonarepublic.com.

You can contribute

Want to know if you'll get a ticket for driving 5 mph over the speed limit? What to do if you are awakened by smoke and flames in your home? What is the state-of-the-art cardiopulmonary resuscitation technique? Our experts will tell you.

You no doubt have many questions for your community police and fire departments. Send them in! E-mail them to lee.shappell@arizonarepublic.com with "public-safety question" in the subject line.

We welcome your letters to the editor. They should be no longer than 350 words and contain your name, address and telephone number. We'll run only your name and the city where you live in print and online. They are subject to editing for length, style and propriety.

If there is a topic you are especially passionate about that requires a bit more space, then we encourage you to submit a "My Turn," a single-topic commentary that can run as long as 650 words. Again, it is subject to editing. Include your name, address and telephone number. We also request that you attach a photo of yourself to run in print and online.

E-mail letters to the editor and My Turns to lee.shappell@arizonarepublic.com with "Opinions" in the subject line.